Somebody Older
by Oxymoronic Alliteration
Summary: While investigating the possible muder of a Marine, Tim finds himself being pursued by the Head Mistress of the boarding school where the man worked. Written in response to Amber's request.
1. Chapter 1

"West Virginia," Tony groaned from the backseat. "Only in West Virginia would you find a boarding school named 'Rocky Creek Prep School.'"

Tim didn't even look up from his laptop to address the field agent who sat beside him. "Actually, Tony, Rocky Creek Prep School has an impressive scholastic history with many of its graduates going on to Ivy League schools."

"And how does that help us figure out how the Marine Lt. who led the school's JROTC ended up dead, McGee?" Gibbs asked he swerved between cars, ignoring honks from angry drivers.

"Well, it doesn't boss, I was just…uh, I guess you weren't actually looking for an answer…" Tim trailed off when he caught his boss' glare in the rearview mirror. "Uh, Lt. Emanuel Howard joined the Marines after getting a degree in mechanical engineering. Two years ago, he volunteered to run the Junior ROTC at Rocky Creek. He's not married, has no kids, and his next of kin is a second cousin who lives in Nevada. No life insurance policies or substantial amounts of money in his will."

"Money wasn't likely a motive," Ziva concluded.

"If there even was a motive," Tony chimed in. "From what they've said it's looking like an accidental death."

"It's not an accident until we say it is, DiNozzo." Gibbs took a sharp right turn, sending the three passengers sprawling to the right. Tim dropped the laptop in the process and it slammed down into Tony's foot.

"McGee! You did that on purpose!"

Tim grabbed the computer quickly and inspected it to make sure it wasn't damaged. "Why would I purposely drop my computer on your foot and risk breaking something?"

The potential argument was stopped by a bellow from Gibbs. "Don't make me have to separate the two of you!"

"So long as McGoogle stays on his side," Tony grumbled, sounding not unlike a petulant child.

"Ziva, call Ducky and see if they're nearby. I can't see them anywhere behind us."

"I don't think the autopsy van reaches warp speed," Tony muttered to Tim, causing the two to share a laugh.

"Tim! What else do you know about this boarding school?" Gibbs barked.

"I, uh…" Tim stammered as he tried to regain his composure. "The school dates back to 1890 and is a co-ed boarding school. The Head Mistress is a woman by the name of Lynn Morrison. She received her Bachelor's degree in education and went back to school five years later to get a Masters in physics. She taught here for a few years and slowly moved her way up to administration positions. She was named Head Mistress two years ago. She is approximately forty-one years old, has never been married, no children."

"Gibbs, Ducky said Palmer took a wrong exit, so they will be at least fifteen minutes behind us."

"Are we there yet?" Tony asked. The chili cheese dog he'd eaten as a quick lunch was suddenly not agreeing with his stomach. He took a swig of water from his water bottle. "God, I hope we aren't going to stay too long."

"Suck it, Tony," Ziva told him. "A little overnight investigation never hurt anyone."

"The term, Ziva, is 'suck it _up_.'"

"Same difference."

"No, 'suck it' has quite a different meaning to it."

"What meaning is that?" Ziva asked, turning and looking back at Tony curiously. There was no sarcasm or snarkiness in her tone and she seemed almost like a little girl asking her parents how babies are made.

Tony snickered. "I'll tell you another time, Ziva."

"We're here!" Gibbs announced as they pulled into an almost deserted parking lot. There were police cars in the lot, as well as a few police officers standing outside, authorizing all cars that entered the lot. There were also a few cars parked in the faculty area.

"You the fellas from NCIS?" a young officer asked they got out of the car.

"We are," Gibbs told him. "Where's the body?"

"There's an athletic shed over there," the young officer said, pointing toward the football field. "It's on the other side of those bleachers. But you'll want to talk to Ms. Morrison, the Head Mistress. She told me to make sure you talked to her before you went to the body." He caught sight of a woman exiting the building and waved to her. "Here she comes now, in fact."

The woman had ash blonde hair and hazel eyes. She was of medium height and had a very slim body. She would probably have been a much more beautiful woman had she put more effort into her appearance. Her hair was pulled back which, when coupled with her tightened mouth, gave her the appearance of a no nonsense woman. Her clothing – a gray suit that looked a size too big – was matronly and did nothing to enhance her beauty. Her arms were crossed as she approached the group, her arms crossed and her eyes flashed.

"Well, well. You certainly took your own sweet time getting here," she said coolly to Gibbs. "I take it this motley crew is yours?" She looked down each member of the team. She began with Gibbs, who glared at her in response, a glare that would send others cowering. This woman, however, simply snorted and moved her attention to Ziva.

"Office David," Ziva said.

"Mm," was Lynn only response before she moved her attention to Tony. The older agent immediately recognized that Morrison was an attractive woman and tried to turn on the charm.

"I'm Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," he told her with a wink. "But my friends just call me 'Tony.'"

"Too bad I'm not your friend, special agent."

Lynn Morrison's gaze finally fell upon Tim, who had grown increasingly nervous during the "introductions." Her eyes trailed down his entire body and back up to his face. When she saw his pink-tinted cheeks she smiled. Well, it was more of a smirk than it was a smile, much like a cat that has just spotted its prey. Tim felt himself fidget under her stare.

"And you?"

"Uh, Timothy McGee, ma'am."

Lynn cackled. "Ma'am? Sweetie, that makes me sound like an old woman." She leaned in to the younger agent. "Stop shaking. I don't bite…at least not hard."

Tim lowered his head in embarrassment and Gibbs stepped in, pulling the woman aside. "If you're done terrorizing my agents, can we please take a look at the body?"

Lynn scowled, yanking her elbow out of his grip. "As I already told the police, this was a tragic accident and nothing more."

"We will need to determine that for ourselves." When he saw her reluctance, he added, "Ms. Morrison, the sooner we can verify that this was, indeed, an accident, the sooner we can get out of your hair."

She shot Gibbs a glare that rivaled his own steely eyed glare, but she conceded. "Bring them to the shed," she ordered the young officer. She turned back to Gibbs. "Will you and your people be in need of housing during this…investigation?"

"At least for one night."

"Ormen Hall has just finished repairs and is open. I'll have someone show you to your rooms after you see the body, unless you'd rather stop at your rooms first."

"No, the body comes first."

"Very well." She stepped back and watched the group as they walked off with the young police officer toward the athletic shed. Tim could feel her eyes boring a hole into his back, but he didn't dare look back at her.

Beside him, Tony shivered. "Boy, what an ice cube, huh?"

"I think she likes McGee," Ziva said, giving Tim a teasing grin.

"She likes him, alright. She likes him the way a hawk likes a little field mouse. Be careful, Probie. She may devour you in your sleep."

"Tony, don't even joke about it," Tim grumbled. Never before had he hoped for a case to be wrapped up so quickly.

* * *

**AN:** As per many of my other stories, this is already complete and I will post one chapter a day!


	2. Chapter 2

The team descended the stairs into the basement of the athletic shed. The body of a rather tall and muscular man lay belly up at the bottom of the stairs, head tilted to the side, eyes open, yet unseeing. Around him buzzed a trio of local police officers, though all of them stopped the moment Gibbs reached the bottom. "Agent Gibbs, NCIS," he told them. "Agents DiNozzo and McGee and Officer David," he added, gesturing to the crew that followed behind him.

The officer that seemed to be in charge stepped forward offering his hand. "Captain Rocco," the man said gruffly. "We came as soon as it was called in. When we found out he was a Marine, though, we contacted you guys."

Gibbs turned to the team and began barking out orders. "DiNozzo, sketches! McGee, photos! David, fingerprints." The three scurried about to carry out his orders as Gibbs turned back to Captain Rocco, notepad open and pen poised. "Who called it in?"

"Groundskeeper called it in at about 7:00 this morning. His name is Mark Bartlett. Claims he came in because they keep the fertilizer in one of the closets – his storage shed caught on fire two months ago when some of the students were smoking behind it – and he saw your Marine lying there. He ran down to check for a pulse and then called us. We've already taken his prints to match against any found down here."

"What about the Head Mistress?"

"Took hers too, Gibbs."

"Did you find out where she was this morning when Mr. Bartlett was calling you?"

The man shrugged. "Claims she left at 6:00am to run some errands. She didn't get back until almost noon"

"Who else was here last night and this morning?"

"According to Ms. Morrison, only she and Bartlett were here. The kids are all gone on account of it being summer vacation and all. Morrison, though, lives here and Bartlett comes in at the crack of dawn to get his work done."

"Why was Lt. Howard here?"

"Not quite sure about that one, Agent Gibbs. We figured you'd want your ME to handle the body, so we can't give you a TOD."

"Have you got anything else?"

"Nah. We've just been waiting for you guys to get here." Rocco whistled for his men's attention and pointed to the stairs. "NCIS is handling this, so you guys go pack up."

"Any suspects or persons of interest?" Gibbs asked.

Rocco laughed. "Like I said, we've just been waiting for you. Figured you'd want to go through all of that."

Gibbs waved the man off. "Thanks, Captain."

As the man walked up the stairs, Ducky and Jimmy appeared at the top of the stairs. "Sorry for our delay, Jethro," Ducky said, giving Jimmy a very stern look. "Do we know anything yet?"

"Waiting for you, Duck. The local police were kind enough to leave the body for you."

The doctor placed his bag on the floor and knelt beside the body. "Well, there look to be no outer wounds. He wasn't shot or stabbed or strangled. If I were to venture a guess," Ducky said, gently taking the man's head and turning it upward, "I'd say his neck was broken."

"Due to a fall or at the hands of someone else?"

"Impossible to say right now, Jethro. The liver probe, Mr. Palmer." Jimmy fished the probe out of the bag and handed it to Ducky, kneeling beside the doctor.

"McGee!"

Tim looked up from the camera as he snapped a picture. "Yeah, boss?"

"When you're finished with those photos, I want you to talk to that Head Mistress and get a list of students from her who live within an hour of the school. Then, go interview them."

Tim gulped as he thought about the woman who had eyed him so ravenously only minutes before. "Uh, are you sure that, uh, Tony wouldn't be better with that sort of thing?" A look from Gibbs shut him up quickly. "Yes, boss."

Tony leaned in to Tim and whispered, "Is the little pig afraid of the big, bad wolf?" He laughed softly to himself, adding, "Careful, Probie. She may huff and puff and blow your house down."

* * *

Tim hesitated slightly before knocking on the door to Ms. Morrison's office. After rapping his knuckles against the glass he heard her bark, "Enter," from within. With a shaky hand, he turned the knob and pushed the door open, reminding himself that he'd encountered people who were far scarier than she was and had come away unscathed.

"Uh, Ms. Morrison?" he asked tentatively.

Lynn Morrison looked up from the papers she held. Tim noticed that she now wore wire-framed glasses that were perched on the tip of her nose and that she'd let her hair down to fall around her shoulders. When she saw him, Lynn grinned smugly and slowly removed the glasses. "Yes, Agent McGee?" she purred.

"I, uh…I…um," he stammered as he awkwardly stood in the doorway. He didn't want to enter the room for fear that she would actually pounce upon him. "I need to talk to you," he finally managed to get out.

Lynn gestured to one of the chairs that were situated across from her desk. "I do hope, Agent McGee, that you will be able to control your speaking while we talk. Otherwise, it may take us all day…and night…"

"I, uh, will, ma'am."

Lynn wagged her finger at him, clicking her tongue as she did so. "I already told you 'ma'am' makes me feel so old. Just call me Lynn."

"Well, uh, Lynn. How well did you know Lt. Howard?"

"He was the moderator of the JROTC. By the time he volunteered, I was Head Mistress. We talked and met with each other to discuss any funding needs or what have you, but that's where our relationship ended."

"Do you know why he may have been in the athletic shed recently?"

"Our boys' basketball coach broke his leg and Emanuel volunteered to take his place until he was ready to get back to it. He was probably checking the basketball equipment to let me know what we would need when school started. I'd asked all extra curricular activity moderators and coaches to let me know by next week so proper funds could be distributed."

"Had Lt. Howard been having trouble with anyone? Any students who held a grudge?"

"Not that I know of. I know he was a hard ass on his unit, but they expect it." Lynn leaned her chair back. "I've already told your boss that this was an accident. We don't have murders here."

"Well, with all due respect, ma'am…er, I meant, uh, Lynn…we just have to investigate everything to make sure."

Lynn still looked miffed by the presence of federal agents at her school, but she simply shrugged. "If you guys want to waste your time, that's your business. Just remember that I have a school to run and I do not need any of you to get in my way."

"We won't," he promised. "If I could just have a list of all students who live within an hour of the school, I'll be out of your hair."

Lynn pouted. "Maybe I don't want you out of my hair." She smirked when Tim looked down uncomfortably. "You get to ask me questions, why shouldn't I be allowed to ask you some?"

"I…uh…sure?" Tim answered uncertainly. He knew Gibbs would have a fit if he found Tim sitting here playing "Getting to Know You" with some scary Head Mistress instead of interviewing the students has he had been ordered to, and Tim had to admit he wanted to get out of that office as quickly as he possibly could. However, he couldn't bring himself to tell her no. He had a feeling she wasn't the type who heard that word often.

Lynn leaned in, her lips twisted into an impish smile and Tim could see she was taking great pleasure in all of this. "How old are you?"

"Uh, thirty."

"Really? You don't look old enough. In fact, you don't look old enough to be a fed. What college did you go to?"

"MIT and Johns Hopkins."

Lynn raised her eyebrows and Tim could see that she was truly impressed to hear that. "I'm guessing you didn't study law enforcement there?"

"No, computer forensics and biomedical engineering. I went to FLETC after that. Uh, that's, uh Federal Law Enforcement–"

"I know what it means, darling. That's quite a lot to get done all before you're thirty."

"I kind of had an early start," Tim told her modestly. "I was two grades ahead, so by the time I went to MIT I was only sixteen."

"Well, you just get more and more intriguing, Agent McGee," Lynn commented, giving the young agent a smile more genuine than the ones she had given him before. "How does an intelligent young man like you end up working as a glorified cop? Is that really intellectually stimulating enough for you?"

"It's not all shooting guns and interrogating criminals. It takes much more brains than you think."

Lynn gave a small laugh that indicated her opinion was not yet swayed, but she didn't push the subject further. From her desk she pulled a rather large list of students. She went through the list, highlighting certain names. After she'd gone through and marked the ones who lived within an hour, she looked up with a smile and handed it to Tim. "Their addresses are listed, along with their phone numbers."

Tim looked warily at the list of highlighted names, his stomach sinking at the thought of the daunting task of interviewing all of these students. "Thank you," he mumbled as he took the list. Lynn's intentional brush of her fingers against his hand did not go unnoticed.

He turned to go, but was stopped by her voice behind him. "One more question before you go." He glanced over his shoulder to see her standing at her desk, leaning toward him. "What does a girl have to do to get an intelligent and attractive federal agent like you to bed her?"

Tim's eyes widened and he wasn't sure how to even being answering her question. His mouth opened and closed for several seconds, though no sound actually came out. Lynn cocked her head to the side, innocently adding, "It's only a hypothetical question, Agent McGee. I'm asking for future reference."

Tim turned away, not wanting to look her in the eye any longer. "I…I have to go…" he muttered.


	3. Chapter 3

Tim winced as another grumble resonating within his stomach. He hadn't eaten since earlier that morning, and even that had just been a plain bagel that he'd grabbed as the team rushed out. He could feel his innards beginning to contract and twist around due to lack of food. Unfortunately for him, the entire town seemed to close at 6:00pm. Even the Arby's and McDonald's had been dark and empty when he'd passed by.

He'd spent the last seven hours talking to the local students of Rocky Creek Boarding School and an extra forty minutes sitting in gridlock traffic as locals returned to Rocky Creek from their jobs. He wouldn't have considered the time as having been spent in vain had the interviews actually given him any kind of lead. The fact was that all of the students had the same thing to say: Lt. Howard was as much as hard ass as any JROTC leader would be, but the students all seemed to like him. No one could think of any reason why the Lieutenant would be murdered. Accidental death was looking more and more likely every moment.

The school parking lot was dark and almost completely empty. Tim breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled into a space. He may be hungry, but at least he was back. There had to be food around here somewhere. Maybe the kitchen would be stocked with food for the impending school year. Of course, it would likely be frozen, and Tim had no idea how to properly use the kitchen equipment. But how bad could frozen tater tots be?

As he neared the door to the room he'd be sharing with Tony, he recognized the delicious aroma of tasty, greasy pizza. If his nose was correct, it was pepperoni, sausage, and onions. Just the thought of it made him salivate.

"About time, McGee! We were about to go out searching for you." Tony was sitting at one of the dorm room desks, stuffing the last of a slice of pizza into his mouth. Beside him was a large pizza box.

Tim snatched the box from the desk and fell back onto his bed. "Yeah, well there were a lot of students. I mean a _lot_ of students. Worst of all, when I finished, nothing was open so I had to wait until I got back to eat anythi…" Tim trailed off as he lifted the top to reveal an empty pizza box.

"Oh." Tony looked sheepishly between Tim and the box. "We thought you were going to grab something to eat on the way back."

"Tony!"

"Hey! How was I to know this town had no night life?"

Tim chucked the empty box to the floor, falling back on to the bed on which he sat. His stomach groaned in protest and he, in turn, groaned audibly. "I am starving!"

"So go get something to eat," Tony retorted. When Tim's stomach once again rumbled, he added, "Please do it before your stomach causes an earthquake."

"Oh, ha, ha, that's really funny."

"Would you just stop your whining and go get something to eat? I mean, there has to be at least a gas station open."

"Oh, yeah, that's a great meal. Cheez-Its and a Twinkie."

"Better than nothing, Probie."

Tim had every intention of staying where he was and complaining some more, but his stomach persisted. Soon, he had no choice but to give in and scrounge up some food.

"I'll bet Cheez-Its and Twinkies sound like a feast right about now," Tony commented smugly.

"Shove it," Tim mumbled.

* * *

The darkened halls of the boarding school had an eerie quality to them. The bulletin boards were bare, with only remnants of the paper and decorations that had been there at the end of the school year. The class rooms were empty, the desks pushed to the side for the cleaning crew to come through. The office was completely dark save for the lit aquarium that was located against the back wall. Only the sound of the ticking clock echoed through the halls. To Tim, it looked like an ideal setting for a slasher flick.

As Tony had predicted, a gas station was open only a couple of miles away from the school. Unfortunately, Tim's prediction of Cheez-Its and Twinkies had been wishful thinking more than anything. He'd left the gas station with no more than a small package of sunflower seeds and an apple pie that had probably been under the heating lamp for weeks now. Neither looked particularly appetizing, nor did either look as though it could properly quench his hunger.

"Stupid town…stupid case…stupid dead Lieutenant…" He paused, feeling guilty at that last one. After all, it wasn't Lt. Howard's fault that he'd died, be it naturally or by the hand of another person.

"It's a bit late to be skulking about, Agent McGee." Tim jumped at the voice. He whipped around, pointing the bag of sunflower seeds as though it were his gun. What he found was an amused Lynn Morrison standing in the doorway. "Or is your boss making you work this late?"

"Ms. Morrison," he replied almost breathlessly. From what he could see, she was wearing only a green, silk robe which ended just above her knees. Her legs were no longer encased in shapeless pants and he noticed that they were very shapely. Her feet in particular looked very dainty; far daintier than her personality. The blond hair that had been in the tight bun now hung loose around her face, brushing along her shoulders. It was as though she had transformed into a completely different person, a completely different woman. The only things that remained the same were the glint in her eyes and the smirk on her lips.

"Did I scare you? I never thought that little ol' me would frighten a manly federal agent like you."

Tim didn't respond to that, mostly because he couldn't tell whether or not she was joking. "I'm sorry if I woke you, ma'am…uh, I mean, uh, Lynn. I just had to go out and get something to eat." He held up his pathetic "dinner" to back up his statement. "It's, uh, been a pretty late night for me."

Lynn's eyes slowly scanned down his body, finally landing on the meager food he held in his hands. "That's an interesting meal."

"Ah, yes, well, uh, the food establishments in this area don't seem to stay open very long."

She nodded. "You noticed that? I don't see how half the people who do business here manage to make money when they close so early. But they claim they do it to keep the local teenagers from causing trouble." She stepped out further into the hall and leaned against the wall. The robe slipped open slightly, giving a glimpse of the pink negligee she wore beneath it. Such a feminine color…and so unlike her.

"I suppose that's the reason so many parents send their children to our school. There's no night life for them to get involved with. The nearest nightclub is almost two hours away."

"Ah. Yes, I can see why that would be a, uh, main selling point." He gently shifted his weight back and forth. Tim was growing hungrier and wearier the longer they stood there. Even the weeks old apple pie was beginning to sound appealing.

"I guess, uh, I should be, you know…getting back to my room…so I can eat and, uh, get to bed…because we've got more to do tomorrow…"

A soft hand grabbed his arm as he turned to go. The grip wasn't firm, but the voice that accompanied it was enough to make him stop in his tracks. "Let me at least give you a proper meal, Agent McGee."

"Thank you, but that's not nec–"

"I insist. I've more than enough food and I couldn't bear the thought of you going to be hungry." She stood no taller than his shoulder and Tim knew he cold easily overpower her. Still, when her mouth formed that tight line and she ordered, "Get in there!" Tim felt he had no choice but to comply.

"Good boy," she whispered, a genuine smile playing on her lips as he entered ahead of her. There was something so endearing about the young agent. The way he sometimes stuttered, the way he looked down sheepishly like a little boy, the way his cheeks would turn red at the drop of a hat...he was so different from the man she's dated in the past. And yet, there was something very noble and strong about him. She got the idea that, if push came to shove, he wouldn't be one to back down. He had the ability and the strength to assert himself; it just took a bit more to pull it out of him.

"So you live at the school?"

"Someone has to keep an eye on the students. It's not as though I live with anyone else," she added, a soft tone creeping into her voice.

Tim assessed the room. It was almost like a studio apartment. A small living area was set up with a couch and television. Behind it was a tiny kitchen and small table. The bedroom was only separated by a partition that didn't even reach the ceiling. The only area that was completely closed off from the rest of the apartment was the bathroom.

"It's cozy," he said.

She hooked her arm in his and led him to the table, motioning for him to sit. "That's a nice way of saying small. But that's alright," she added with a slight smile. "It's big enough for me. Now what can I get you to eat?"

At the mention of food, Tim's stomach once again rumbled. "I'll take whatever you offer me."

Lynn paused, eyeing him. "Is that a promise?"

Tim blushed and he glanced down at the table. Lynn noted his silence and busied herself as she prepared a small meal for him. She hated to admit it, but she almost winced every time she heard his stomach growl. "Something to drink?"

"Ah, soda would be fine."

She poured him a Coke, but warned him, "That stuff will rot your teeth."

"You sound like my mom," he said as he accepted the drink.

That hadn't been what Lynn had hoped to hear. Any comparison to a mother, even in passing and even over something so slight, was just a very bad thing. Even so, she swallowed it and didn't give any indication that his comment had affected her so. "I make a mean fajita, if I do say so myself."

"That sounds heavenly."

She grinned, pleased that the young agent had referred to something she'd offered as "heavenly."

Lynn got the frying pan set and reached up to the top shelf where the cooking oil sat. She had little cabinet space, so the oil generally was left up there. Usually she could simply stand high on her tip-toes and gently edge it closer to the edge. This time, though, her fingers continued to only caress the container without getting a good hold on it.

Tim turned and saw Lynn's struggle. "Oh, jeez!" he said, jumping to his feet. "I'm just sitting here while you kill yourself trying to cook for me."

"It's fine, Agent McGee," Lynn insisted, not even turning around.

"Here, let me," he said coming up behind her. His chest pressed against her back as he reached up and easily grabbed the container of oil. It wasn't until he placed it on the counter in front of her that he realized how close their bodies were.

Lynn was reveling in the feel of his warm body against hers. He wasn't as muscular as his co-worker, Agent DiNozzo, but his body was masculine just the same. Though his muscles weren't prominent, she could feel them against her and it only increased the desire she felt building inside of her. His warm breath brushed against her hair and she could feel his heart rate increasing.

When she could no longer take it, Lynn turned around slowly, keeping his body pressed tightly against hers. The robe she wore loosened, soon opening to completely reveal the negligee she wore. Her breasts peeked out beneath the light fabric. They weren't very large, but the way that increased and rose with every breath she took, not to mention their pale, white complexion, made it nearly impossible for him to not look at them.

The pangs in his stomach subsided. Tim no longer cared about how hungry he was. He was now looking at something he was far hungrier for than food.

"Oh, boy…"


	4. Chapter 4

Time seemed to halt as they stood there, bodies pressed together. They soon developed a rhythm of tandem breathing in which Tim would exhale as Lynn inhaled and vice versa, allowing each of their chests to press in and out against the other's alternately. Their hands still dangled at their sides, fingers gently twitching, longing to touch the other.

Lynn was actually the one to initiate it. Her hand reached up to his cheek and gently began stroking along his jaw line, all the way down to his chin. His skin felt as smooth as it looked and her fingers singled at the sensation. It was strange for a man to have such soft skin, but she now realized that Tim wasn't your typical man. He was the kind of man that a woman often overlooked in favor of cocky, macho men; Lynn was ashamed to think that she had been one of those women. Had her path crossed with his five years ago, she wouldn't have given him the time of day. Now, though, she wanted nothing more than to strip him of every bit of clothing he wore, pin him down to her bed, and explore every bit of his body. Hopefully, he would return the favor.

Tim, in the meantime, was trying to figure out where this was heading, and whether or not he actually wanted it to go there. "Ms. Morrison…" he whispered. He knew that stopping her would be the right thing to do. He knew that he should gently extract himself from her and return to his own room. Yet he found it difficulty, if not impossible, to do anything other than stand still in his place, letting her run her hand along his cheek.

"Shh," she responded softly to his feeble protest. Her fingers had been replaced against his cheek by her knuckles and they were now treading closer to his lips. God, those lips looked inviting! She could practically drown in them. His soft pout, coupled with his huge, expressive eyes, were enough to soften even her, leaving her as little more than a pool of goop.

She hadn't hesitated much in her life, but as she pushed her lips up closer to his, Lynn paused momentarily. Her forehead was level with his nose, her warm spurts of breath wafting against him. She pulled herself closer to him by wrapping her arms around his neck. She busied her hands by tangling them within his hair, twisting strands around within the crevices of her fingers. She wanted so desperately to just kiss him, but she couldn't bring herself to close the gap that was between them. In the end, Tim did it for her.

Her lips…her taste…her…_her_. It was all so glorious that Tim didn't care what the consequences may be. His mouth was closed over hers, her lips suctioned into it. He had no intention of letting them loose any time soon. His tongue made its way to the supple lips and he softly ran it along, tasting the lip balm that had been glossed across them.

His hands tenderly grabbed her elbows and made their way down along her arms, her shoulders, and her sides until they reached her waist and encircled it. Tim swiftly lifted her body, surprising both of them, and cradled her against him. She, in turn, wrapped her legs around his body, her ankles locking around each other. Her hands were now resting on his neck, holding it in a firm grip.

"Bed…now…"

He obeyed her murmured order and began stumbling toward the bed. Walking wasn't very easy when he was carrying a woman with whom he was engaged in a deep kiss, but he managed to only bump into a few things before reaching the bed on the other side of the partition. They broke their kiss just has his legs pressed against the bed frame and he glanced down, unsure whether he should simply drop her down or sit her down. After only moments of consideration, he gently laid her body out on her back. Her chest was rapidly bouncing with each breath she took and her arms trailed up to her hair, pushing it out, away from her face.

Tim knelt over her, his knees pressing against the inner calves of her splayed legs. He ran a hand along her leg, trailing from her ankle, up beneath her negligee. He reached the top of her thigh and let his thumb gently rub circles around the skin as his other hand trailed up the other leg.

Lynn closed her eyes, concentrating on Tim's touch. She was glad that she'd shaved her legs that day; it would have been far too embarrassing to have him running a hand along stubble. With each circle he traced against her skin, her heart beat increased and she feared that her heart would soon be bouncing about inside her ribcage. She breathed a small sigh of relief when the circling stopped, only to gasp when his fingers traced along her cotton underwear.

He began rolling the fabric about between his middle finger and thumb. His other hand stroked the exposed skin just above the waistband of the underwear. The thumb peeked beneath the waistband, hooking it, and lifting it. At an agonizingly slow pace, Tim pulled the underwear down, stopping here and there to kiss the skin of her legs as the garment trailed down. Soon, they fell to the ground beside her bed.

She sat up and grabbed the fabric of his shirt, pulling him in closer to her. The kisses she trailed along his neck caused Tim to freeze in his spot. The soft groan that resonated in his throat brought a grin to her face and she continued her oral exploration of his neck. Her fingers, in the meantime, were adeptly unbuttoning the shirt, taking moments to savor the sensation of his skin beneath them.

When she had pushed the clothing off, she pulled away and studied him, kneeling there before her. His chest wasn't the kind that you'd see at Chippendales. It was pale and a bit flabby with his belly button caving in beneath skin. But Lynn found that she could look at the chest all day.

With him shirtless, Lynn immediately brought her fingers to his trousers. They caressed the zipper and the lone button that hooked at the top. She could see the erection sticking out against the fabric, wanting to emerge. Who was she to deny it its freedom? Her hand unbuttoned the waistband and she pulled the zipper down carefully, not wanting to harm the little Timmy that awaited her.

Tim was already kicking off his shoes and he met her halfway as she pulled down the pants. He managed to get them off after a slight struggle – they had gotten turned inside out on the way down and twisted about his ankles – and let them fall to the carpet, soon followed by his boxer short. The final garment to fall atop the pile was the pink negligee.

"Cute," she said, gently tickling at his manhood. Normally, such a comment from her would have been condescending and paired with a sneer; in this case, though, Lynn had a very soft, very demure tone to her voice. "He's friendly, I hope." Tim couldn't respond as his mouth was currently wrapped around her breast.

Lynn was used to her sexual encounters being quick and hard; Tim was more accustomed to a softer sort of love making. The two managed to meet somewhere in the middle. He would run his palm gingerly along her skin, and she would grasp at his hair and neck as though her life depended on it. Of course, as is generally the case with sex, it culminated with him firmly inside of her. Her legs were once against wrapped around him, pulling him down onto her and further into her.

Having tired of her place on the bottom, she managed to roll their bodies over together and landed on top of Tim's torso. His fingers intertwined with her sweat-soaked hair as he leaned up for a hard kiss.

"Oh, God!" she groaned in a low, almost husky voice. Her body arched up and her head snapped back as she let out an unintelligible mixture of sounds. She was shaking and her hands were furiously grasping at the sides of the pillow that lay beneath Tim's head. Her foot began slapping against the mattress as an overwhelming sensation came over her entire body.

Tim wasn't far behind. Just as Lynn's body finally began to relax, falling gently against him, he felt the sweet release he'd been waiting for. He bellowed with a deep moan and pulled her in against him. Her hair fell against his face, tickling his nose; but he couldn't muster up the strength to move it just yet. All he had the strength for at the moment was placing a hand on her bare back. Her heart beat resonating within her torso and he felt it against the palm of his hand.

Suddenly, she didn't seem so scary.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well," Lynn said breathlessly after what seemed like hours, "you are full of surprises, Agent McGee."

"Please, call me Tim," he insisted. "Are you saying you didn't expect me to perform so well?"

"I'm saying that I didn't expect you to even let it get this far."

Tim glanced down at her. "I'm sorry…did you not want–" Her fingers gently pressed his lips closed, stopping the question she knew he was going to ask.

"If I hadn't wanted to, I wouldn't have allowed it," she told him forcefully. "I'm a very headstrong woman, Tim; I don't do anything I don't want to do."

"I believe you."

Lynn began pressing soft kisses against the skin of his chest. "It's just that I'd assumed you were too much a gentleman to allow a woman to embarrassingly throw herself at you."

"What's embarrassing about it?"

"I should have had more restraint."

"I didn't."

"You're young. I'm old enough to know better."

Tim ran a hand over her tresses, bunching the hair up in his palm. It was hard to believe that he had practically cowered beneath the stare of this woman only hours before. Here, naked in bed, she seemed so vulnerable. Then again, nudity and carnal pleasures had a way of stripping down a person to their barest form.

"For now," he suggested, planting a tender kiss on the top of her head, "let's just pretend like we're both young and ignorant; too ignorant to recognize when it isn't proper to engage in sexual activities.

She purred beneath his touch, nuzzling her head further into his touch. Her cheek was pressed firmly against his skin and she inhaled slowly, savoring his scent. "It's not often that I have the pleasure of such activities. I don't get much company, especially not masculine company."

"I'm sorry."

"No, Tim," Lynn said, shaking her head. "I'm not asking for pity or sympathy. I quite like my life, despite the solidarity of it. I just want you to recognize how much our encounter has meant to me."

He smiled. Not only had his sexual performance been deemed acceptable by a woman who he was sure had more experience than him, but it had meant something to her beyond just the sex. To him, that was a success in itself.

Tim's fingers were twisting strands of her hair as they lay there. He could hear her soft breathing and could feel her heart beating gently. It had slowed down considerably since the climax of their tryst, but it was still beating far more rapidly than usual. Her hands were running up and down along his chest. Her tiny hands felt nice and cool against his skin. Her body felt so fragile and small against his own, though he had little doubt that the body was just as strong and stubborn as the woman who inhabited it.

"If I ask you something," he began hesitantly, "do you promise not to take offense to it?"

Lynn gave a small chuckle. "Well, that depends on what you ask me, Timothy."

"How did you end up here? I mean, you're a very attractive woman and you're certainly intelligent. How did you…"

"End up as an old school marm?" she finished, looking up at him for his reaction. He looked away sheepishly, but he didn't try to correct her. "I suppose marriage and children just weren't in the cards for me. I had a plan for my career and that was it."

"It's not too late. I mean, you could get married and maybe even have a child."

"Are you proposing to me, Tim?"

"Ah, no," he said, looking a bit flustered. "I just meant you shouldn't assume that just because something hasn't happened for you yet, that it won't happen for you ever."

"That's a sweet thought," she said. "I've no doubt that you like to believe that there is a man for every woman, and vice versa, and that everyone lives happily ever after. I just don't think things are always so simple."

"Do you ever regret the choices you've made?"

Lynn sighed. This wasn't the kind of post-sex discussion she was accustomed to. Actually, she wasn't accustomed to post-sex discussion period. For her, it had almost always been release and run. Then again, this was a very different kind of man.

"Regret is a useless feeling, Tim. We cannot change what we've already chosen and we cannot see how things would have turned out had we chosen the other path. You don't get to see the full results of both options; that's why they're called 'choices.'" She turned, lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling. "Though I suppose I've questioned some choices I've made."

"Like what?"

Lynn was quiet for a moment; then her lips formed a forlorn grin. "Nathan Williams," she said softly.

"Nathan Williams?" Tim repeated.

"The first man I ever loved…maybe the only man I ever loved."

"High school sweetheart?"

"Oh God, no. We met in college. He was in some bullshit philosophy class I took just because I needed an extra credit. I thought the entire class was a bunch of people spouting nonsensical ideas and theories. Nathan was the only one in the class who, when he spoke, actually made me _want_ to listen." She paused looking down. "He had that effect on people.

"We began dating, even though we had almost nothing in common. In fact, I think the only thing we _did_ have in common was our want of knowledge. Still, he was fascinating to me. He seemed so much more worldly than I was…so much more…mature."

When Lynn didn't continue, Tim timidly asked, "What happened?"

She looked over at him, seeming to have forgotten that she wasn't alone. With a shrug, she said, "He proposed to me and I turned him down."

"Why?"

"Because…he didn't fit into the plan," she said with a wry smile. "At least, that's what I tell myself. The truth is, I think I was too intimidated by him to allow myself to belong to him."

"Belong to him?"

"Isn't that what marriage is? Each person says they belong to the other."

"I guess that's a simplistic way of looking at it."

"I'm a simplistic kind of woman, Tim."

Lynn rolled over so that she was on her stomach. She looked up into Tim's eyes. "You know, I could ask you the same questions. I mean, about why you aren't married. Or _are_ you married?" she asked with a sly smile.

"No," he assured, "I am not married. As for the why…I guess it's just hard to meet people in my line of work. I mean, most of our so-called clients are corpses; most of the living women I deal with are criminals."

She looked at him for a moment before smiling. "You'll meet her," she predicted.

"Who?"

"Her. The woman you'll want to belong to."

"And how do you know this? Maybe I'll end up as a bachelor."

"Tim, I know these things. You're far too sickeningly sweet for bachelorhood."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"It's a statement of fact. I mean, I know people say nice guys finish last or whatever, but that's a load of crap. Nice guys are the ones girls run to when they feel their biological clocks ticking their last tocks."

"Ah, so we're a last resort. That makes me feel so good about myself. I'm guessing that's why you ran to me?"

"Sweetie, my biological clock never got going in my entire life. My running to you was purely about the sex." She rested her head against him, adding, "Well, that and the company."

Before he could speak, Tim's stomach grumbled loudly. He blushed, but Lynn simply laughed. "I guess we forgot about feeding you."

"It's fine," he said as she slipped out of bed. Stark naked, Lynn strode into the kitchen area.

"I promised you food, and I will give you food! Just stay right where you are."

From his place, Tim heard the opening and closing of cabinets, drawers, and the refrigerator. When she returned to the bed, she was holding a plate with a ham and cheese sandwich and sliced apple pieces.

"It's not the fajita I promised you, but I figured it would suffice."

Tim took the sandwich gratefully and bit in. "This will do fine," he mumbled, not caring about all those times his mother had reprimanded him for talking with food in his mouth. "Thank you."

She smiled as she watched him devour the food. A bit of mayonnaise oozed out from between the bread and stained his bottom lip. She reached her hand out and brushed her thumb against the lip, wiping the condiment away and sucking it off her thumb. She plucked one of the apple slices from the plate and offered it to him. Tim took the hand holding the apple into his as he bit into the slice. She, in turn, took what remained of the slice and suckled the broken end, slurping up the juice.

The moment both excited Lynn and saddened her. She knew their newly founded relationship would end the minute he walked out that door.


	6. Chapter 6

"McGee."

"Mmm…"

"McGee!"

"Gowaytony…"

"McGee!" That one was punctuated with a slap to the back of the head.

Tim shot up, not even opening his eyes. He ran his hands over his face, groaning at the early wake-up call. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get your behind out of that bed. Gibbs wants us to meet with him at 0600."

His cell phone told Tim that it was 5:00am, a mere five hours after he'd sneaked back into his shared room and slipped into bed. Though, even if he _had_ only gotten five hours of sleep, it had been well worth it.

His night spent with Lynn had been one of most enjoyable nights he'd had in quite some time. It wasn't the sex (though, the sex was really good), but rather the company of an intelligent and headstrong woman who had a secret vulnerable side that she rarely showed to anyone. The fact that she had trusted him enough to have let him see her at her barest and most uncertain state had truly flattered him. He knew that their relationship would go back to the way it had been the day before – her as the predatory Head Mistress, the kind of woman who eats Marines for breakfast; him as the stuttering Probie, the kind of guy who blushes at the drop of a hat – but regardless of how much she snarled and he stumbled, he knew they had each seen what the other was capable of and nothing could really change that.

"You were gone pretty long last night."

Tim looked to see Tony watching him with a slight air of suspicion. The older agent had been asleep when he'd gotten back, but that didn't mean Tony hadn't noticed that Tim was gone for longer than was necessary to get food.

"Took a while to track down some food." That much was true.

"Find anything good?"

"I ate my fill," he replied with a small smile playing on his lips.

Tony stopped, aware of Tim's change in tone. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you had sex last night."

"Sex?" Tim echoed, his voice raising almost an octave. He was grateful to be facing away from Tony, lest his co-worker should see the look of shock in his eyes. "No," he continued, forcing his voice back to its normal tone. "I just meant that I was very satisfied with what I ate, especially considering what I thought I'd be eating."

Tim held his breath as Tony mulled over his explanation. Finally, the older agent gave a laugh, saying, "You know, from anyone else, that would sound dirty."

"What makes me so different?"

"Are you kidding? You have that boy scout/choir boy thing going on. It's pretty much impossible for you to say anything and have it sound dirty."

Tim opened his mouth to retort, but it immediately snapped back shut. He knew he was liable to say something he'd regret, most likely pertaining to last night's events. The best thing to do was keep it to himself – even if blabbing about it _would_ satisfactorily shut Tony up.

"I call the shower!" Tony exclaimed as he pushed past the younger agent into the bathroom.

* * *

"Did you find anything, McGee?"

"Ah, not really," Tim admitted as he pulled out his notes. "All of the students I talked to said Lt. Howard was a well-liked guy. He had recently volunteered to step in as the coach for the boys' basketball team while the regular coach recovered from a broken leg."

"That explains why he was in the athletic shed," Ziva said.

"That all you got, Probie?"

"Yes, Tony, that's all. The students didn't have a clue as to why someone would murder Lt. Howard." Tim looked apprehensively to his boss, not quite sure how to phrase his next statement. "Boss…"

"What?"

"Ah…well…it's just that this is starting to look more like an accident…don't you think so?"

Tony and Ziva exchanged amused glances at Tim's comment. Whatever chewing out Tim might have received was halted by a call on Gibbs' cell phone.

"What've you got, Duck?"

"Just a preliminary report for you, Jethro. Lt. Howard's neck was indeed broken and was most likely the cause of his death."

"Was it broken in the fall?"

"Well, I can tell you it wasn't a clean snap. It's hard to say, though, what precisely caused the break."

"Have you got anything else?"

"Nothing yet. I'll call you after I've finished the autopsy."

"Yeah, Duck. Keep me informed." He snapped the phone closed and turned back to the group. Before he could return to Tim's statement, Ziva jumped in on it first.

"I must disagree with McGee's assessment that this is death was an obvious accident."

"And why is that, Ziva?" Tony asked.

"Because, when I spoke to the faculty yesterday they were just full of gossip."

"What kind of gossip?"

"Gossip about our victim."

"What was the gossip?"

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked, giving the agent a smack to the head. "Let her finish."

"According to the majority of Rocky Creek's teachers, Lt. Howard had been seeing another member of the faculty."

"And which member would that be?" Gibbs asked.

Ziva responded with a smirk. "The Head Mistress. Lynn Morrison."

* * *

**AN:** I apologize for the delay in updating. The site seemed to be having problems and I wasn't able to log in for quite some time.


	7. Chapter 7

"Morrison?" Tim asked incredulously, resisting the urge to refer to her as "Lynn." "Are you certain?"

"That is what I have been told, McGee."

"Wow," Tony said. "Someone actually had sex with her?"

"She is not an unattractive a woman, Tony."

"Yes, but I figured she ate her partners after intercourse, like certain insects."

"What makes them think she and Lt. Howard were dating?" Tim asked, hoping to avoid any further discussion of Lynn's sexual habits.

"It was no big secret, McGee. They were seen going to dinner; they attended functions together; most importantly, he was seen leaving her on-campus apartment many times."

"Lovers' spat?" Tony suggested to Gibbs. "Maybe he was trying to leave and Madame Head Mistress was having none of it."

"Hey! Just because they were in a relationship doesn't mean she killed him!" Tim said in a louder tone than he'd planned. Seeing that he was getting riled up, he sheepishly added, "I mean, the significant other isn't _always_ the culprit."

"McGee's right," Gibbs said, speaking for the first time since Lynn had been revealed as Lt. Howard's lover.

"I am?" Tim asked, smiling in relief.

"Yep. So rebut the claim." Tim raised his eyebrows at Gibbs' request. "You seem to adamantly believe that Morrison is innocent; tell us why."

"Ah…" he stammered, caught off guard. The only reason he had spoken up in her defense to begin with was because their encounter from the previous night was still fresh in his mind. Had they _not_ had sex, he likely would have immediately jumped on the bandwagon with Ziva and Tony, agreeing that Lynn was guilty. But it wasn't the sex; there was something else nagging at his mind, telling him not to jump to conclusions. "Well, she said she ran errands yesterday. Ducky's TOD was around 0630 and she was gone by that time."

"Or she lied, Probie."

"You've got to have more than that, McGee," Gibbs agreed.

Tim thought hard, nibbling his bottom lip as the facts of the case ran through his mind. "Well, do you really think a woman of her size and build could shove a man of his size and build down the stairs?"

"Size can be deceiving," Ziva commented. "I have faced off against many opponents who underestimated my abilities because of my size."

"Besides," Tony added, "he could have been at the edge of the stairs when she pushed him. Wouldn't take much effort there; just let gravity do the work."

He looked around at each one of them, feeling bombarded from every side. "It's just…my gut."

"Told you, McFlab, you need to hit the gym more often."

"Shut it, DiNozzo," Gibbs ordered.

He turned back to Tim, looking at the younger agent skeptically. "McGee, I've got no place to doubt the validity of a gut feeling. But some things can't be decided by the gut. Not even by mine."

Gibbs stood, signaling for the others to follow. "It's time for us to pay Ms. Morrison a visit."

* * *

Lynn hummed as she flipped the omelet over on the frying pan. She was uncharacteristically cheery, especially for it being so early in the morning. She'd gone to sleep with a smile on her face and she had woken up with it still there. Amazing what a little booty call could do for a person's mood. Her smile widened, musing over how her students would react if they ever heard her use the term "booty call." "They'd probably die of shock to find that I actually know what that term means," she said to herself. "I can only imagine what they'd say if they found out I'd actually had one, especially with a younger man."

She wasn't sure if it was simply a coincidence, but for the first time since she could remember, her morning had gone almost perfectly. Her coffeemaker had started when it had been programmed to start, her newspaper had arrived dry and on time, and the eggs for her omelet hadn't stuck to the pan. Maybe Timothy was some sort of a good luck charm.

She had only just sat down to eat when a knock at the door interrupted her morning meal. Her smile fell, knowing that this could only have to do with one thing.

"Agent Gibbs," she said sourly when she opened the door. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I take it you aren't exactly pleased to see us."

"I don't generally receive visitors while still in my sleepwear," she said, giving Tim a pointed look. His blush brought her much delight.

"So change. We can wait."

The door slammed in their faces.

"Mrow! She's a feisty little kitty!"

"Tony, shut up," Tim muttered.

"She's much hotter when she isn't in those boring suits."

"Tony! Shut up!" Tim repeated, this time in a hissed whisper.

Tony gave the young agent a look of surprise before whispering to Ziva, "Looks like McGee's a feisty little kitty, too!"

The door flew open, revealing a miffed Lynn, now dressed in a pair of slacks and a pull-over top. Her hair was still down and she hadn't even bothered with make-up.

"Would you like to come in? Or will this conversation be short enough to have right here?"

Gibbs gave her a look before pushing past her into the apartment. Tim filed in behind Gibbs, avoiding Lynn's eyes, followed by Ziva, with Tony pulling up the rear. As he walked past, Lynn stopped him.

"By the way, Agent DiNozzo, I'm hardly a kitty. I like to think of myself as more of a shark."

He was a bit taken aback, mostly because he had no idea she'd even heard his comment. "Noted."

"So what is this about?" she asked once they were all settled in. Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva were scoping out the room. If any of them noticed Tim's lack of interest, they didn't mention it.

"Something interesting has come up in our investigation," Gibbs told her.

"And what would that be?"

"Seems our dead Lieutenant was romantically involved with another member of the staff here." He looked her square in the eyes, sensing her rising discomfort. "Namely, you."

Lynn's lips tightened. "Yes. We were…involved."

"Why didn't you tell us that?"

"You didn't ask."

"You wouldn't happen to have been hiding it, now would you?"

"Hiding it? Why would I hide it? Everyone knew about it. I simply didn't see the need to bring it up."

"The man you've been seeing turns up dead on your campus and you didn't see the need to bring it up?" Gibbs asked.

"We ended it months ago," Lynn told him. "We hadn't had a date since March."

Gibbs eyed her suspiciously. "So who ended it? You or him?"

"We _both_ ended it. Neither of us really wanted to go any further and we knew it might strain our working relationship."

"Did you tell anyone about ending it?"

"Agent Gibbs, we didn't even tell anyone about beginning it. People drew their own conclusions."

"How convenient," Tony interjected. "No one other than the two of you knew about breaking it off, and now he's dead."

"Have you any actual proof of me doing something wrong?" she asked, her eyes blazing.

"How many people have access to these grounds?"

"During the summer, only the faculty."

Tony smiled impishly. "So you're saying you're the only person who had both access and a motive?"

"No!" she snarled. "I had access, but no reason to kill him! If he was murdered, it wasn't me!"

"Tony," Tim whispered. He grabbed his co-worker's arm and pulled him back. Tim knew better than to undermine Gibbs or Tony while they talked to Lynn, but it didn't mean he had to sit there and watch her be bullied.

"Thank you, Timothy," Lynn said. Only a second later did she realize that she had referred to him by his first name.

"Timothy?" Tony repeated, looking between the two.

Without missing a beat, Lynn gave Tony a withering look. "That is his name, correct?"

"You had company recently."

The group looked toward Ziva who was studying the room. During the confrontation, she had taken it upon herself to subtly look around for any clues that could link Morrison to Lt. Howard's murder. "There are two glasses with the remains of soda in them," she said, pointing to the counter beside the sink. "One has marks of lipstick and the other does not. Also, the toilet seat in your bathroom is still up, indicating that your visitor was male."

Tony's eyes bulged and he looked to where Tim was standing, looking very guilty. "Probie…" he said in a soft tone. "So _that's_ why you got in so late last night!"

Before Tim could reply, Lynn threw herself into Tony's line of vision. "Timothy," she said, pointedly using his first name, "got in late last night with a meager meal that wouldn't satisfy even the lightest appetite. I refused to let him starve, so I invited him in for a proper meal."

"Is that how it happened, McGee?" Gibbs asked, looking the young agent directly in the eyes. Lynn had a hardened look and could probably smooth talk her way out of just about anything. Tim, though, had a bit more trouble when it came to fudging the truth.

"Yes…" he said. It _was_ the truth, after all. He knew, though, that his tone of voice made it apparent that there was more that was not being said.

"Is that _all_ that happened?"

This time Tim knew he was caught. Even as he fidgeted, trying to figure out how to respond, he knew his goose was as good as cooked. Finally, with a resigned pout, he shook his head. "No, boss, it's not." Only Lynn's hand enclosing his with a soft squeeze brought him any comfort after his confession.

Gibbs wasn't sure how to respond to this. After a long bout of deliberation, he said, in a strained tone, "McGee. Hallway. Now."

As Tim exited the apartment, he was vaguely aware of Tony humming "Taps" softly under his breath.


	8. Chapter 8

Tim made a choice as he walked past Gibbs into the hall. He wasn't going to let himself be made the bad guy, even if sleeping with her hadn't been the smartest thing to do. He was in his right to sleep with whomever he wanted.

Gibbs marched Tim into an empty room across the way and slammed the door behind him. "McGee–"

"Boss, before you say anything, let me remind you that I am hardly the first person on this team to become involved with a person related to one of our cases. Remember Tony with the Pacci case? And Ducky with that Civil War case? Even you had a date with that woman during P.O. Lambert's investigation!" The fact that Tim didn't think twice about calling Gibbs out on his own romantic involvement with someone attached to a case was a testament to how strongly he felt that he had been well within his right to sleep with Lynn. "Everybody has done it! Yes, I can't let that affect my judgment – and I'm not! I honestly believe that she is innocent – but I didn't do anything wrong."

There was an awkward bout of silence in which Gibbs assessed the situation and thought about what Tim had said. He gave a small nod. "I'm not angry at you, McGee."

"You're not?" Tim asked uncertainly. If Gibbs wasn't mad at him, then what was this about?

"No, McGee; I'm angry at _her_. She pulled you in."

That wasn't what Tim wanted to hear. He'd have preferred that Gibbs simply blame him. He didn't want the blame to rest on Lynn. "Boss, I made my own choices. She didn't tie me down and make me do anything."

"She seduced you, McGee."

"And what? I'm some helpless little boy who can't make my own choices? I'm an adult! I don't need to be protected against a woman, even one as predatory as she is!"

He paced, not even wanting to look Gibbs in the eyes. "Would you be this concerned if it had been Tony or Ziva? Would you be so concerned if Ms. Morrison was younger than me? I am sick and tired of being treated like some little school boy who needs to be protected against sexual predators or something! I'm not even really a Probie anymore!"

With his outburst over, Tim wasn't sure who was more surprised by it: Gibbs or him. He had never imagined that he would ever get that angry, let alone direct it toward Gibbs. He was the even-tempered one, the one who, even when angry, still managed to keep his cool – usually. He didn't talk like this.

"Boss…I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, McGee."

Tim, uncharacteristically, rolled his eyes. "Because it's a sign of weakness."

"No," Gibbs said with a hint of a smile, "because you're right. I do tend to treat you differently than I do Tony and Ziva. I shouldn't." That was about as close an apology that one would get from Gibbs.

"So…we're okay?"

"I'm not happy that you had sex with her, if that's what you mean, but I'd be a hypocrite to berate you for it."

Gibbs folded his arms and leaned back against the door. "I just want to know why."

"Why I slept with her?"

"Why you're convinced that she is innocent? If it isn't the sex, then what?"

Tim considered this for a long time. His mind returned to the conversation they'd had the night before. She didn't strike him as caring about whether or not Lt. Howard was interested in her; she didn't care about what anyone thought of her.

"It's just not her," Tim said finally. "She isn't the vengeful type. She doesn't like to be vulnerable."

"What does being vulnerable have to do with anything?"

"Well, if you kill a man for breaking your heart, you're admitting that you were vulnerable at one point and that you allowed yourself to get hurt. She would never admit to being heartbroken, even to a man she was about to kill."

"That's not much to go on, McGee."

"Neither is the fact that she and the victim were involved with each other."

Gibbs shrugged. "Fair enough."

"So how do we handle this?"

Gibbs cell phone jingled from within his pocket. He retrieved it, glancing at the screen. "You go back to the room. I'll be there soon."

As Tim walked out, he heard Gibbs answer the phone with, "What have you got, Duck?"

* * *

Tony kept trying to subtly glance at Lynn. She was sitting at her kitchen table, glaring at the door with pure venom. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around the idea that she and Tim had done the dirty. He couldn't speak to what Lynn's type was (though he had no doubt that she would love to devour a young man like Tim), but he hadn't envisioned that Tim would be at all interested in her. He'd be far too intimidated to really perform…wouldn't he?

"You can stop staring at me, Agent DiNozzo," she said, not even glancing at him. "Or are you trying to figure out why your charms failed on me, yet your friend managed to get me into bed."

"No," he said, though the thought had crossed his mind, "I was just wondering why you seem to have such a hatred for your door."

"I don't want Timothy to get in trouble on my account."

"You didn't seem so concerned last night, now did you?"

"Last night I was under the impression that Timothy and I were both adults and, therefore, were allowed to make our own choices."

"So you weren't hoping to sway him to your side, should your secret come out?" Ziva asked.

"No, Officer David, I was not. Is it so hard to believe that I was attracted to him?"

"Not at all," Ziva replied. "The timing was just very…convenient."

"Life can be convenient at times, Officer David."

The handle jangled, causing Lynn to jump to her feet. When Tim walked through the door, she sprang over to him, pulling him into a hug. It was rare for Lynn to show any signs of affection, but when she did, she truly meant it.

"Timothy, I take all the blame for last night, and I will tell him that."

"Lynn," he said, waving her off, "it's fine. I made my own choice and I don't regret it."

"So did Gibbs read you the rights, Probie?"

Tim gave the older agent a smile. "No, Tony, he didn't."

"He looked angry when he left," Ziva said.

"Well, he got over it. Everything is fine," he assured Lynn.

"So where is our fearless leader?"

"Got a call from Ducky. He said he would be in shortly."

As if on cue, Gibbs pushed the door open, clicking his phone closed. He beckoned for Tony, Ziva, and Tim to follow him out into the hall. As they filed past him, he caught Lynn's eyes and the two shared a look before he closed the door.

"That was Ducky."

"He find something?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, DiNozzo, he did." Gibbs looked Tim level in the eyes before continuing. "It seems out Lieutenant was the victim was a heart attack."

"Heart attack?" Ziva repeated.

"If he'd been near the stairway, it's possible that he stumble back and fell down the stairs, resulting in a broken neck," Tim theorized.

"Yes, McGee," Gibbs said with a nod. "It's very much possible."

"What's your gut saying, boss?"

"It's saying we've got an accidental death here." He nodded to the team. "Pack your gear."

* * *

**AN:** Only one chapter left, just to wrap things up!


	9. Chapter 9

The team had mixed feelings as they packed up to return to D.C. Tim was both happy that Lynn had been cleared and sorry that she had been dragged into it to begin with. It was strange how in only one day he could go from fearing her to connecting with her and understanding her in a way he'd never thought possible. Though he knew their relationship had come to an end and that they would likely never see each other again, he was grateful for the time they had spent together. Even now he had no regrets about sleeping with her.

Tony was still confused as to how Lynn and Tim had ended up sleeping together. Neither seemed to be the others type…though maybe that was exactly the reason why they did work so well together. Ziva too was having trouble envisioning the two together, but she was far less vocal than Tony was about it. Gibbs, in the meanwhile, was just annoyed that they had spent an entire day investigating an accidental death.

"For the last time, DiNozzo," he barked, slamming the door closed, "we are not stopping for lunch on the way back."

"But, boss! I'm starving!"

"Well, you should have had a bigger breakfast."

Tony rolled his eyes, grumbling about starvation as Lynn approached, holding a brown paper bag.

"I thought you might get hungry on your way home," she said, holding it out to Tim.

"Thank you!" Tony exclaimed, lunging for the bag. Lynn pulled it away, glaring at him.

"This it for Timothy," she told him curtly.

"Hmph!" he said angrily. "I guess if I'd slept with you, I'd be getting food too."

"Unless you want to lose a testicle, I suggest you run off, Agent DiNozzo."

"Ah, thank you," Tim intervened, not wanting either of them to do or say something they'd later regret. He took the paper bag from her and peeked inside, seeing a fajita wrapped in plastic wrap, an orange, and bag of cookies. "I'm sure this will be appreciated," he promised.

Ziva saw the look that Tim and Lynn were sharing and took Tony by the arm. "We should grab a few more things before we leave," she said to him as she pulled him off.

"But we have everything we need."

"Tony! I think they want to talk alone," she said in a hushed tone.

"All the more reason to stay nearby."

Ziva gave his arm a tough yank. "Let them be," she ordered.

Lynn and Tim were looking at each other like shy school kids, each wanting to engage the other in conversation, but neither quite brave enough to speak first. Finally, Tim took the initiative.

"Sorry about all of that. I mean, about you being a suspect and…well…"

"Timothy, you don't need to apologize. I'd have suspected me too. I just hope I didn't get you into trouble."

"You didn't," he assured her, a smile playing on his lips as he recalled his conversation with Gibbs. "In fact, I think I needed to do that."

"Sleep with me?"

"No!" he said, his cheeks tinting pink. "I just meant that I needed to do something without worrying about the consequences of my actions. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm more the kind of guy who goes by the book and doesn't like to do something that might be frowned upon."

"Oh, I've noticed."

"Well, I think that going with my impulse for once was good for me. It's healthy to be spontaneous now and then. I'm not a little boy, and I think now they better recognize that," he said, gesturing toward his team.

Lynn had to smile at the burst of confidence Tim seemed to have received from their rendezvous. "I never thought you were a little boy, even if you are quite a bit younger."

"I, uh, hope you don't think me a tease or anything."

"A tease?" Lynn laughed. "Dear, a tease is someone who promises everything and delivers nothing. You promised nothing, yet delivered everything without expecting anything in return." She took his face gently in her hands. "You have done so much for me…I couldn't even being to tell you."

Tim didn't feel like he had done anything other than have sex, but he didn't question her statement. Lynn was different than a lot of women with whom he had been, so it wasn't surprising that she took something different away from sex than those women had. For her, sex with him hadn't just been pleasure; it had been rejuvenation and assurance that she was more than "an old school marm." She was an attractive and viable woman, and her encounter with Tim would always remind her of that.

In their last minutes alone, Lynn leaned in and gave Tim a tender kiss on the cheek. "Good-bye," she told him. "And take care of yourself."

"You too."

"Hey, McGee! Let's get going, huh?" Tony called out.

Tim gave his colleague a look and turned back to Lynn, smiling apologetically. "I…uh…I guess…"

She placed a gentle finger over his lips. "You have to go. I understand that."

"Thank you," he said softly. He walked to the car, giving the women a final look before sliding in.

"Okay, the Big Bad Wolf isn't looking," Tony said as they pulled out. "So let me at that food." He once again snatched at the brown paper bag, and this time it was Tim who pulled it away.

"I believe this was given to me, DiNozzo. Now, if you asked me nicely, I'd be willing to share some of the food with you."

"Ha! Me ask you for food?" Tony scoffed. "No thank you."

"McGee, may I have something to eat?" Ziva asked from the front seat.

"Of course, Ziva." Tim pulled out the orange and handed it to her. Before turning back around in her seat, Ziva gave Tony a smug smile.

"Fine!" he relented. "May I please have some of your food, McFood Hog?"

"I'm sorry, what was that, Tony?" he asked, holding the bag of food away from the older agent."

"May I please have some of your food, Timothy?" he repeated with a roll of his eyes.

Tim smiled, pulling out the bag of cookies. "Was that so hard?"

Tony didn't respond as he pulled out a cookie. Instead, he shoved one of the treats into his mouth, mumbling, "I don't like this new McGee."

"Get used to him, DiNozzo," Tim said, a smug smile on his lips, "because he is here to stay."

* * *

**AN:** The end! Thanks to all of my wonderful readers and reviewers!


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